Published Article

HeadlineLondon Students Are Redefining Movember

Short Headline“Grow a Mo, Save a bro”- UCL Students Grow the Mo-Mentum

StandfirstThis men’s health charity has transformed from a month into a movement

Movember is a charity with the famed slogan “grow a Mo, save a bro”. Created to support and raise awareness for men’s health issues, such as prostate and testicular cancer, and mental health.

“Universities play a huge part in terms of Movember and are a great way to introduce young people into fighting for a cause… and activism for a topic”

LeeAnn Lee – Movember ambassador from 2023-2024

Students at London Universities, such as UCL, are reframing the discussions surrounding men’s health.

Participating in extreme challenges – running marathons, shaving their heads and spending 24 hours in the student centre – to raise money for the Movember charity campaign.

“One of our football clubs did a 24-hour run last year”

King Chalapati – UCL Movember Ambassador

Funds gained by the charity have been granted to improve prostate cancer care around the globe. Two grants were awarded in late summer this year to London institutions.

Over £440,000 to King’s College London (KCL) and Guy’s & St Thomas’ to help ensure the questionnaires that individual patients fill out (PROMS) have a positive and life-changing impact for those diagnosed.

KCL was also awarded a £200,000 grant to implement a new questionnaire called the Sexual Minorities and Prostate Cancer Scale (SMACS) to understand how prostate cancer and the treatments provided impact sexual health.

Prostate cancer has now become the most common type of cancer in England, according to Prostate Cancer UK.

This makes the Movember campaign more vital than ever to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer. Along with raising awareness for testicular cancer and men’s mental health.

The scope the charity has managed to reach, together with its continued fundraising efforts throughout the year —not just in November —suggests it has evolved into a sustained movement.

More students have been encouraged to participate in the charity and to foster a more open conversation about men’s health.

“That’s how the conversation starts, all light-hearted about the charity… and then linking to these real-world issues of men’s mental health and physical health”

LeeAnn Lee

Last year, University College London raised £30,000 towards Movember over the month, and this year, they have currently raised over £5,400.

I used AI to create a prediction chart of the Movember funding UCL could raise this year based on last year’s donations.

Although the chart indicates that the university is not on track to reach last year’s fundraising achievement, most of its large events are occurring at the end of this month.

This gives Movember UCL the chance to raise more money and surpass last year’s success.

Students from UCL have taken their fundraising initiative a step further, completing various challenges to raise money beyond the classic moustache-growing.

“At the end of the month, I’m running a half ironman, I’ve already done a half-marathon at the beginning of November… I’m going into the Iron Man, a little, well, without training”

Joe Lock – UCL Movember Ambassador

The university is also organising a swimathon, a “night of Mo’s and moves”, and pottery and dance classes, all themed towards the charity.

This is all intended to reach mo-mentum for discussing men’s health and opening more conversations.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call the Samaritans for help on 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258.